Starve a Fever
by Stitchpunk
Summary: Remember how when he thought he got teargassed, Ray suddenly got every symptom Fraser listed off? Well, imagine if he actually had something wrong with him. Ray gets a fever so bad he becomes delirious. It was bad enough when he had hypothermia.
1. Grumpy

Ray was tired. That was all there was to it. Even after the relaxing vacation in the north, he was exhausted, mentally and physically. It had only been a month since they'd gotten back, but it had been December month, and that meant thieves. Lots of thieves, lots of robberies, lots of fights. And he had to be there to break them all up.

He looked down at his hand. There were two caffeine pills in it. The bottle said to take half of one, or a whole at the most. He sighed. He shook two more out of the bottle, downing the collection dry.

"Good morning, Ray!" Benton greeted as he walked into the room, folding his jacket over his arm as he went about getting some breakfast in the dimly lit kitchen.

"I hate you," Ray replied. "Damn morning people..." he muttered into his coffee before taking a sip. He grimaced and grabbed his Smarties, pouring a handful and counting exactly seven into the cup before pouring the rest into his mouth. He grabbed a mixing spoon and crushed the candies up in the bottom of the mug.

"But it's a _wonderful_ morning, Ray! The snow is fresh, the sun is bright, the clouds are white..." Benny said, breathing in deeply.

"The snow is slushy runoff, the sun is glaring, and the clouds look like rain," Ray returned grumpily as he leaned over the counter on his elbows.

"Oh, Ray. Don't be like that," Benny said and smacked him on the back with the newspaper. "Here. Read this and cheer up," he ordered, handing him said weapon of choice.

"Don't wanna," Ray said. "Waiting for my caffeine to kick in..." he mumbled, his eyes halfway shut still. "I can barely see through this haze in here..."

"Ray...there _is_ no haze in here," Benny frowned.

"Yeah, there is. It's all fuzzy in here. I think you left the window open or something. I keep tellin' you, '_Close the damn window at night so the fog doesn't get in_,' but do you listen? _No_..." Ray muttered to himself, laying his head down on the counter.

"Ray, I'm _telling_ you, there _is no fog_," Benny said and reached out across the counter. He lifted Ray's head up and felt his forehead. "As I thought," he nodded. "You, Ray, have a fever."

"God, am I gonna die?" Ray asked pathetically. "I feel like I'm gonna die. Oh, god...my throat..." he whimpered and coughed. "My throat is killin' me. I think my lungs are filling," he panicked.

"Ray. Ray. Ray. _Ray_," Benny said, his calmness slowly fading. He snapped his fingers in front of his partner's nose and the man looked up at him blearily with red, watery eyes. "You're not dying. Go back to bed. I'll bring you something to help you feel better."

"...Okay," the man said smally and nodded. He stood shakily and stumbled back to the bedroom, his hypochondria worse than the sickness. He sniffled and nearly fainted when his airway wasn't completely clear. "Benny! Should we call the hospital?" he called out, his voice quieting as he got back to the door and in sight of the man.

"You're _fine, Ray_," Fraser sighed. "You've braved the harsh wilderness of the Arctic Circle. You can brave a simple fever."

"Right..." Ray said absently and nodded to himself as he braced his other hand on the doorway to turn around and wander back over to the bed. "Right..."

"Now, lie down!" Benny called out to him as he filled a cup with hot water and slipped a lemon-based tisane bag into it. He really hated to use the packaged herbs, but loose-leaf was apparently not in Ray's vocabulary, despite what he'd specifically told him to buy.

"Here you go," he said as he walked into the bedroom with the steaming mug. "Let that cool off and then drink it."

"What is it?" Ray asked, sitting curled up on the pillows with his knees pulled up to his chest under the covers. "Some sort of northern shaman disease-cure mix?"

"...No, Ray," Benny sighed and rolled his eyes. "It's lemon tisane. You bought it at the store on Wednesday"

"...Oh," Ray said disappointedly. Nonetheless, he reached out for the cup and held it in his shivering hands as if he were beyond freezing.

"You can believe it's shaman mix if you like," Benny allowed. "It's still a collection of herbs."

"Nah..." Ray said. "It's no fun when you buy your shaman mix at Wally's. It just doesn't strike the same chord."

"As you wish," Benny nodded and felt his forehead again with the inside of his wrist. "Thirty-eight...point-seven-two."

"You can tell that just with yer skin?" Ray asked as he sipped at his drink, made a sour face, and blew on it some more.

"It's a simple technique. Many mothers can do it with their babies. Anyone can," Benny dismissed and pulled the blankets up a bit higher around Ray's chest. "Now, don't eat anything today, all right?"

"Why not? Do you think it's a stomach bug? I do feel a little nauseous, now that I think about it. I think I might throw up. Can you get me a bowl or something?" Ray asked in quick succession.

"Feed a cold, starve a fever," Benny recited. "It's common knowledge, Ray."

"But you said I had a fever. But I have a cold, too. Oh, god. What am I supposed to do? I can't eat and not eat at the same time," Ray asked pitifully.

"First we starve the fever out, and then we work on the cold. I'm not sure you even _have_ a cold at this point," Benny told him. "Now drink your tisane and lie down."

"Okay..." Ray nodded smally, holding the cup to his bottom lip with both hands as he curled in on himself. "Are you sure I'm not dying? I mean, if this is bad, we should get to the hospital sooner rather than later. What if my fever goes up when you're not here? I can't do that wrist thing! How will I know? I could burn up to death and you would never know until you came home! Oh, god, I could die today! Benny, what if this is the last time I ever see you?" he cried out, tears welling in his eyes as he grabbed onto Fraser's arm and latched his fingers around his elbow, pulling him down.

"Ray-" Benny started, but was suddenly pushed away.

"No! You have to get out of here! Save your_self_, man! You can't catch this whatever-I-have! What if we _both _die? Who will take care of Dief?" Ray exclaimed before holding out his drink. "Quick, you have to drink some, too! Before you catch it!"

"Ray, if I drink out of that cup, I'll be infected faster than you can say 'Umiaryuap Publimaaqpaga tattaurniq ammayaq'," Fraser sighed. "Would it make you feel better if I were to make myself a cup?"

"Yes," Ray whimpered smally, sipping at his own.

"Alright," Benny acquiesced and went back into the kitchen. He returned a few minutes later and sat a bit down the bed from Ray, nursing his own cup. He reached out his now-uniformed arm and felt Ray's forehead again. He didn't mean to let the frown slip across his face, but telling by the rapid paling of Ray's face, it had.

"What?" he asked in a high-pitched voice. "Am I dying? Did it get higher?"

"No, no," Benny lied. In truth, he was already up point-one more degrees.

"Oh, god...I'm dying..." Ray sobbed. "I'm dying, and I'll never find Biggie Shackleton..."

"Who's Biggie Shackleton?" Benny asked.

"No one...no one...don't even worry about it..." Ray sighed forlornly. "I think I'll just sink into a sea of nothingness and despair now..." he said, sinking literally onto the bed after setting his empty mug down on the side table.

"Ray, you're going to be _fine_," Benny huffed and rolled his eyes again. "It's a simple fever."

"You just go on..." Ray said, flapping his arm at him as he snuggled back into the pillows, his eyes slipping shut. "You go on and live a good life...for me..."

"_Ray_..." Benny sighed. "You're not dying."

"I _am_," Ray bit out. "That look on your face said it all. You'll go to work and I'll never see you again." He nearly sobbed. "Please don't leave me, Benny...Not today..."

"I've got to go to work, Ray. You'll be perfectly fine here on your own. I'll leave you with Diefenbaker. He'll take good care of you," Fraser assured him.

"Right. A _dog_. What's a _dog_ gonna do about a fever?" Ray pouted, earning himself an indignant yelp from said animal.

"Diefenbaker is trained in a multitude of medical techniques. If anything goes wrong, he'll know, and he'll come get me," Benton told him evenly. Diefenbaker huffed at him. "_Won't you_, Dief."

The dog laid his head down and nodded with a disgruntled whine.

"Good. Then it's settled. Now. I've got to go to work," Benny said decisively. "You two stay here and be good. Dief, do not let him eat anything."

"But I'm _starving_," Ray whined. "Can't I just have a little something?"

"Not if you want this fever to go away," Benny said firmly. "Now stay in bed-" He tucked the blankets in around him. "-and stay hydrated. I'll be back soon."


	2. Delirious

He was back sooner than he thought.

Diefenbaker burst running into the consulate at just fourteen-hundred hours.

"Dief?" Fraser asked in confusion. "I told you to stay with Ray. What's wrong?"

Diefenbaker wagged his head as he sat down and lifted his paw, scratching at the air as he howled softly.

Benton turned to the inspector and grabbed his hat from the inbox.

"I've got to go. Terribly sorry, Inspector," he said quickly and rushed out before she could object, and he knew she was about to from the way she raised her hand and opened her mouth to speak. He disappeared down the hall before she could even stand up and round her desk, Diefenbaker following close behind.

He ran all the way to the apartment building and up the stairs, and unlocked the door as patiently as possible before shoving his way in. He crossed the floor in six steps and walked into the bedroom.

"Hi-hi, Benny-Benny Buddy-Buddy..." Ray waved, his head and arm hanging off the side of the bed as he lay supine on the mattress.

"Ray, do you feel alright?" Benny asked, walking as calmly as possible over to the dry-skinned man and feeling his forehead. He sucked in a breath through his teeth. Forty degrees and a half.

"I feel..._great_," Ray grinned. "I feel like...floaty-ness...I'm high in the sky...the Reading Rainbow...I can fly twice as high..." he giggled.

Benny lifted him up onto the bed and tucked him in to keep him still, but he kept squirming about under the covers, trying to push them off.

"Stoppit..." the man whined. "I'm better now...I wanna get up..."

"You stay _right_ where you are, Stanley," Benny ordered.

The man looked up at him, suddenly seeming terrified.

"You-...you called me Stanley..." he whispered. "Am I..._dying_?" He couldn't help but giggle at his own melodrama, but his laughter faded quickly.

"_No_, you're not _dying_," Benton sighed and rolled his eyes again as he held the phone to his ear and dialed the rotary numbers.

"Who are you calling?" Ray whimpered, staring at the phone jack with worry painted all over his entire being. He pulled the covers up to his chest and laid still.

"A doctor," Fraser replied. "One I know very well." He was afraid this would send the man into an hysterical sobbing fit, but instead it sent him off giggling.

"See?" Ray grinned and pointed at him. "You see? I _told_ you I was dying! You didn't believe me! But I was _right_!"

He was grabbing at Benny's sleeves and the man brushed his hands away only to find it was useless. He swatted Ray's swiping hands off him the entire call before hanging up the phone. He then had to fight Ray's hands away from the dial and set the phone away from him on the floor before he called someone in some god known precinct of Japan.

"No, no, no," Ray said childishly as he tried to crawl out of bed, ending up halfway to the floor.

Benny pulled his upper body back onto the bed and wrapped him tightly in the blankets, tangling him up in them as securely as possible.

"You need to _stay. still_, Ray," he bit out difficultly, trying to keep the man situated.

"But I wanna call someone, too!" Ray insisted. "I needa call my mom and my dad and my, uhm...my fish. My fishes. Fishy, Sishy, Bishy, Lishy...I named them all -ishy..." He reached out for the phone again and Benny grabbed him, funneling his arm back under the blankets. "But they'll be worried! Who will feed them?"

"I'm sure your mother can handle it," Fraser said as he struggled to keep the man stationary.

"But how will she know? I have to tell her...And Nishy...I almost forgot about Nishy..." Ray mumbled as he sank back onto the bed, the air puffing from his lungs in overexertion, his cheeks and lips glowing bright red.

"I've already told her, Ray," Benton placated as he tucked Ray's limp body back down into the bed. "I just called, remember?"

"Oh..." Ray breathed, closing his eyes as he panted and swallowed. "Oh, yeah...Yeah, I remember...you already called her...I remember...you mentioned...Mishy..."

Benny sighed in relief as the fight ended and Ray fell back asleep. He stood and took off his jacket, his hat having come off in the struggle. He picked it up off the floor and set it on the table before straightening the rest of his clothes.

He sat back down on the bed and wiped Ray's hair back off his forehead. He was becoming worried. The man still hadn't broken a sweat, which meant his fever was still rising.

"I hope I made the right choice this morning, Ray..." he sighed. "I don't think I ever should have left you in this state..." He felt ashamed of himself. He should have known it was going to get worse. Ray had gone from tired to sick overnight. Of course it wasn't over by morning. He sighed again. He should have _known_.


	3. Doctor

The doctor arrived and Benny opened the door for him, ushering him inside and taking his second bag. He carried it into the room after directing the man back.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, doctor," Benny said as the man sat down on the bed next to Ray's side and felt underneath the man's chin. Ray didn't even move, let alone acknowledge their presence.

"Oh, call me Ujarak, Benton," the man said. "You've known me long enough."

"Well, seeing as you're here in a professional capacity, I just assumed, that, well, that I should refer to you in a way such as that-" he stumbled over.

"You're rambling, Benton," Ujarak said, looking up from under his brow at the man who was twisting the brim of his hat. He glanced down at it pointedly and Benny _oh_-ed and stopped, setting it down on the table. He felt Ray's forehead with his wrist and nodded. "And you say he was at thirty-eight-point-seven only this morning?" he asked looking up past his half-moon glasses.

"Yes, sir. I mean doctor. I mean- Yes, Ujarak," Benny confirmed.

"Well...I can give him a few things for now..." the man said, leaning over the side of the bed and opening his bag slowly, his arthritis-gnarled hands not able to move much faster. He pulled out a few paper baggies and handed them over, along with a store-bought bottle. "Mix these in equal parts and have him drink a cup every two hours, to keep away dehydration and sleeplessness. He's taken much too much caffeine lately. I can tell. And he should take these pills every four hours, two of them each dose, until the fever stays away."

"Thank you, sir," Benton nodded as he took the medications. "And if it doesn't work?"

"If he gets any worse tonight, say half a degree more, call again. Otherwise, I'll come by in the morning and we shall see then what we should do," the man told him as he stood up on creaky knees. Now that the urgency was gone, he could rest easy and be his old, rickety self.

"R-right," Benny nodded.

Ujarak looked at Benton and sighed, knowing his problem exactly from the guilty look smothering his entire visage.

"We can't tell the future, Benton. We simply fix what we can't prevent afterwards," he sighed, shaking his head.

"Yes, sir. Right, sir," Benny nodded. "I'll help you carry your bags out, sir."

"No, no. That's alright. I carried them here. I can carry them back," Ujarak said and took the leather doctor's case from the Mountie. "You go make the ptisan for him. Watch him closely. Check his temperature every half hour or more."

"Alright, doctor. Ujarak. Sorry," Benny said and cringed at himself.

"No worry, no worry," Ujarak brushed off as he hobbled out to the front door. "And Benton..."

"Yes?" Benny asked.

"He's not the worst I've ever seen that's lived. Nowhere near, even. Just do as I say. He should be fine in a few weeks, if not sooner," the man told him honestly.

"...Thank you, sir," Benny said sincerely.

"Feel better? Good. Now go brew that up and funnel it down him somehow," Ujarak said, returning to his lighter tone.

"Right, sir," Benny nodded and closed the door after the man let himself out.

He rushed over and took a one-fourth teaspoon from the hook on the wall to measure out each of the five loose-leaf medications into a tea strainer. He boiled some water and poured it in, leaving it to soak until it was cool enough to drink.

"Ray," he said as he brought both the concoction and the pills into the bedroom and sat where Ujarak had been on the edge of the bed. "Ray. Ray. Ray. _Ray_."

The blonde man woke up with a gasp and lifted his head only to cringe and lay back down hardly.

"M' head hurtsss..." he moaned. "And my arms...they're made out of noodles...flying noodles...I can feel them...way up high..."

"Yes, I know, Ray. Now sit up," Benny ordered as he set the mug and pills down on the wooden surface beside the pillows. He moved up the bed to help Ray sit up, the man's head flopping around, eyes rolling around in their sockets.

"Can I be right-side up again?" Ray groaned as he was let back against the headboard.

"Yes. But you have to drink this first," Benny allowed and held the cup up to Ray's lips. They were dry and cracked, but the liquid inside wetted them a little and he rubbed them together and smacked them when the cup was taken away.

"Ca'I have some gum?" he asked. "The zebra kind? With rainbows?"

"Yes, Ray," Benton nodded and walked over to the closet to dig around in the pockets of his partner's jackets until he found the kind he'd asked for, a different brand or flavour in each pocket.

"Oh, look..." Ray said dreamily, staring up at nothing, as Benny sat back down. "They're all flying...all happy..."

"What are, Ray?" Benny inquired as he unwrapped the stick and held it up to Ray's lips.

"All the lil gum wrappers...all turned into butterflies...all origami'd up...flyin' aroun'...havin' a good time...all in circles...whirlpool...all around the light..." Ray sighed, twirling his pointer finger in what Benny assumed was the same pattern as the winged foils and papers were.

"I see, Ray," Fraser nodded, pushing the stick into Ray's mouth. The man chewed quietly, still watching his waking fever-dream. Benton had him cheek the gum and swallow the last of the ptisan along with the pills before sitting back and sighing. "What am I going to do with you..."


	4. Butterfly Killer

He woke in the night to find Ray writhing around next to him on the bed, twisting himself in the covers and moaning.

"Ray. Ray. _Ray_," he said, but to no avail. He got out from under the covers and walked around to the other side of the mattress, turning on the lamp and forcing Ray to still.

"_Mm_...lemme go..." Ray groaned, closing his eyes to the light and struggling weakly.

Benny grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him down into the pillow.

"What's wrong, Ray?" The man kept squirming around. "_Ray_. Tell me what's wrong," he ordered.

"Too _hot_..." Ray moaned. It was then that Benton noticed he was covered in sweat so copious that even his hair was wet.

"Good, Ray," Benny nodded and wiped his bangs back for him. "I'll get you some cold water, hm?"

"Yeah..." Ray nodded, brow furrowed and still writhing around, tangling himself further in the sheets. He drank greedily when the ice water was presented to him, holding it with both hands and yet still too weak to keep it raised himself. Benny tipped it up for him, holding his head up as well, and poured the liquid into his mouth.

"It's time for your medicine, too, Ray," Fraser said and went to get it for him. When he brought it back, Ray was curled into a ball glaring at him.

"Don't you _dare_," he slurred. "You keep that stuff _away_ from me."

"Ray, what-?" Benny asked as he walked forward only to find that Ray flinched back as he stepped. He ignored it and set the mug and pills down on the table before sitting down and trying to pick Ray up.

"_You. Shove. Off me_," Ray ground out as he tried to struggle the man's hands away from his body.

"Ray. why are you acting so. childish. all of a. sudden?" Benton huffed and caught his partner's hands as the man tried to scoot back on the bed, fighting him difficultly back towards him.

"_No_," Ray bit at him. "I drink that, I get sicker," he glared. "One and two, Fraser."

"Ray, even _I_ know that the saying is '_two _and two'," Benton said and struggled Ray down onto the bed. Now he knew was Ujarak had meant when he'd said he would have to funnel it into him. "You're _sick_. Now _let_. _me_. _help_." He pinned Ray's hands down to his chest with his forearm and plugged his nose before grabbing the pills and shoving them into his panting mouth, forcing the drink into him until he'd swallowed the last drop.

As soon as the ordeal was over and done with, Ray simply fell limp, his eyes half-closing as he breathed short puffs of air. Benny removed his arm from the man's chest and rearranged the blankets over him only to have Ray shove them down stubbornly and kick them off.

"Too _hot_," he grunted angrily. He tried to push himself up only to fall back down as soon as he got up onto his elbow. "_This sucks_..." he groaned.

"That it does, Ray," Benny agreed. "All around."

"I want the damn butterflies back..." Ray growled. "Your stupid drink killed my butterflies."

"It's also lowering your fever," Fraser pointed out.

"The hell it is," Ray muttered. "Feel hotter now than ever. I'm friggin' _roasting_..."

"Ah, but..." Benny began before holding his wrist out to Ray's slick forehead. "You've gone down point-nine degrees.

"Yeah, right..." Ray huffed. "All I know is: I was cool before and I'm hot now."

"No, you _felt_ cool before," Benny corrected him. "And only because you were warm compared to the rest of the room. All in proportion, Ray."

"Whatever," Ray scoffed. He scrunched his eyes shut and ground his face into the pillow he was hugging against his shoulders. "I feel like horse manure."

"And you will for some time," Benny agreed. "The doctor said you have perhaps even two weeks of this."

"Well, _you_ certainly know how to soften the blow..." Ray said and groaned into the pillow, writhing around a bit more and kicking the blankets the rest of the way off his feet and onto the floor. "Get those things away from me. I never wanna see another cover in my entire _life_."

"I'm sure you'll say differently when this is over," Fraser replied, not really meaning the gibe his words seemed to be.

Ray moaned again and raised his arms, sliding down hard against the covers until his shirt came up. He squirmed out of it and shoved it onto the floor as well before getting up on his elbows.

"_Mm_...I wanna take a shower...a nice, freezing, cold, icy, brisk, chilly, cool, rainy, river-y, freshwater shower..." he groaned helplessly and flopped back down. "And I can't get up."

"Would a bath do?" Fraser inquired.

Ray moaned and nodded into the pillow.

Fraser went and ran the cold tap into the tub until it filled a little over halfway, walked back to the bedroom, and found Ray fast asleep spread over the entire bed. He sighed and shook his head.

"I suppose it can wait," he said to himself. "Not like water goes bad." He walked over to the foot of the bed and collected the blankets up, folding them on the floor and laying down. Even if he couldn't sleep next to Ray, he still needed to keep an eye on him. "I really hope you feel better soon..." he murmured to himself.

"Me, too," Ray sighed, making him jump.

"You're awake?" Benny asked, sitting up to peer over the edge of the sheets.

"Not very..." Ray groaned and squirmed a bit.

"Do you still want that bath after all?" Benton offered.

"Not really..." Ray admitted a bit sheepishly. "But thanks fer it anyways..."

"You're very welcome, Ray," Benton replied.

"Yeah...I know..." Ray said quietly. "...Thanks fer the soup-tea stuff..."

"You're welcome again," Benton nodded at him.

Ray huffed through his nose and turned his head on the pillow to face the other man, scrubbing his face with his fist.

"I don't feel good..." he moaned. "I think I need a hospital. I feel like when I got tear-gassed."

"You never _got_ tear-gassed, Ray," Fraser sighed. "And you don't need a hospital. The doctor is coming back in the morning to check on you."

"_No_..." Ray moaned again, rubbing his face into the pillow underneath him. "I need a hospital...I'm dying..."

"You're not _dying_, Ray," Benny said for the umpteenth time.

"...Fraser..." Ray said quietly.

"Yes, Ray?" Benny asked politely.

"I think I'm gonna throw up..." the man whimpered.

"Upsy-daisy, then, Ray," Benny said as he stood up.

"I can't even sit up..." Ray moaned. "How am I s'posed to stand?"

"Come on," Benny said and hefted him up, taking almost all of his weight as they walked into the bathroom. He set the man down on the floor and held him up as he wavered about dizzily. "You okay?" he asked.

"No," Ray said dazedly. "I feel...worse than ever..."

"Well...I guess we stay here for a while until your stomach settles down," Fraser said, settling in next to the man.

"Yeah..." Ray nodded, his eyes slipping shut. He slumped against Benny's side.

Benton sighed and kept him up.

"I think your hypochondria is acting up again..." he mumbled and hefted the unconscious man into his arms, carrying him back to the bed and laying him out, arranging his limbs into a comfortable position.

He paused for a moment after he stood up, walked into the kitchen, and fetched a bowl to bring back and set on the bed next to Ray's head.

"Just in case," he said quietly.

"Th'nks..." Ray mumbled, not even his eyelids moving.

"You're welcome, Ray," Benny sighed, rolling his eyes. He sat back down on the floor and put his forearm along the edge of the bed, resting his chin on it. He watched the blonde man like a hawk for almost two hours until his next dosage.

Again, Ray attempted to fight him off, his fever having risen again as the medicine wore off, and again Benton won and emptied the drink into his mouth.

"Butterfly killer..." Ray moaned afterwards.

"Only gum wrapper ones," Benny replied.

"Still..." Ray persisted obstinately.

"I know," Benny nodded. "But you'll feel better soon."

"No, I _won't_. I'll never feel better _again_," Ray moaned into the pillow. "I'm _dying_, and _you_ just keep killing off butterflies."

"Give me your gum before you fall asleep again," Benny said and held his hand out.

Ray glared at him and swallowed it defiantly.

"Whatever gets you through the night," Benny sighed, rolling his eyes as he lowered his hand.

"I tell ya: you force that stuff down my throat again and I'm callin' the cops on you," Ray glared.

"You _are_ the cops, Ray," Benny sighed again.

"...I'll get _other_ cops, I mean. You know what I mean," Ray frowned. "Now quit being mean."

Benny stared at him for a moment before reaching up and feeling his forehead again. He closed his eyes and frowned. The fever was rising again.

"Just go to sleep, Ray," he said.

"_No_," Ray bit out, his eyes closing.

Benny sighed in relief. He actually _was_ asleep this time. Or at least he was being quiet and still. He laid down and set his internal clock to wake him up in time for the next dosing.

"Goodnight, Ray," he said almost silently.

There was no response.


	5. Alive

When Ray woke up the next morning, or what he assumed was morning by the fact that he was just then waking, he opened his eyes, felt a terrible stinging ache shoot out from them through his brain from the pale dawn light, and squeezed them shut again with a moan.

"Ray?" he heard from his left side. He raised his arm and scrubbed at his face, feeling like he had thrown himself up into the sky from the simple movement. He let his arm flop back down next to his side and sighed.

"Ray, are you alright?" he heard. That same voice. Who was that again?

"_Mm_..." he moaned and tried to turn onto his side only to find that it sent him spinning until he laid back down and let his balance calm.

"..ay. Ray. Ray. Ray," he heard. God, that voice was annoying right now, though he knew it shouldn't have been. He scrunched his eyelids tighter over his eyes and groaned again.

There was a hand on his shoulder, shaking him and sending him back into the air. He slapped it away and tried to tell it to stop, but it came out more like, "St'bbt."

"Ray, you need to drink this," the voice said.

A drink. A _drink_. _Oh_. Oh, great. Not that again. He tried to sit up and get away, but a hand was around his neck, tipping him up.

"No-mbmb-" he tried to object, but he ended up burbling it into the liquid. He tried to hold his hand up to gesture for the voice to take it away. The voice. Oh! Fraser! It was Fraser's voice!

He gasped at the revelation only to realize that he was still supposed to be drinking. He hacked and coughed, trying to get the hot drink out of himself, and the cup was taken away quickly. The hand on his back sat him up and he curled over to try and clear his lungs, exhaling roughly and trying to gulp in air.

"Ray, calm down. Ray-" Fraser said, holding him up so he could cough.

And then he was gone. Everything just disappeared. Bye-bye. Go away. Never see ya again. Dark. Black. Dizzy. He opened his eyes.

"Ray, are you all right?" Benny asked, rubbing the man's shoulder next to him. The poor guy was half-unconscious, he knew, but he still needed to get those pills down him somehow. He shifted his hold and picked up the medication as Ray moaned. His jaw was slack as his chin rocked against his chest, which was lucky since it would be easier to get the pills in. He poked them past the blonde man's teeth and held the cup up again. This time, Ray swallowed automatically, completely out of it.

"Ray..." Benny sighed as he set the mug down on the table again and laid Ray back down on the mattress, arranging him comfortably so as to keep his blood circulating. "What am I going to do with you?" he asked again.

When Ray awoke, he felt worse than ever. He could feel the pain pulsating in his head and his skin was slick and sticky at the same time.

"Fraser?" he asked pathetically before coughing, turning weakly onto his side to do so. His arm was flat against the sheets while he braced himself from falling onto his stomach with the other hand.

"Yes, Ray?" came that same voice as before as a man walked into the room.

"Fraser, c'n I have a glass o' water?" Ray asked.

"Of course, Ray," Benton said and walked over to the side table to pick up the cup already set out for the man should he need it while Benny wasn't there. He helped Ray sit up and poured the liquid into him until he held his hand up, just barely tipping his fingers off his thigh. Nonetheless, it was caught by Fraser's keen eye.

"Th'nks," Ray said quietly as he watched the cup be set back down again. He looked back up at Fraser, not moving his head but his eyes. "'Re you sure I don' needa hosp'tal?" he asked.

"...That remains to be seen," Benton admitted. "For now, you're fine here. If you get worse, I shall take you to a hospital, Ray."

"Th'nk you..." Ray nodded and let his eyes slip shut again. "B'nny?" he asked.

"Yes, Ray?" Fraser inquired.

"...Nuthin'..." Ray said finally. "I fergot..."

"Okay, Ray," Benton said and tugged Ray back down the bed so he could lay his head on the pillow.

"Fraser?" Ray asked again.

"Yes, Ray?" Benny repeated.

"...G'night..." Ray said quietly.

"Goodnight, Ray," Benny replied indulgently, though it was almost dawn at the moment and thus the proper bidding was '_good morning_'.

"Yeah..." Ray sighed. "G'night," he said again, his voice fading. He'd forgotten he was the one to say it in the first place.

"Goodnight," Fraser said nonetheless. He sighed again and tucked the covers around Ray's pliable body before leaning back. There was no way he could go to work, but he felt as if he were letting the inspector down by staying all day with mostly nothing to do but watch his partner sleep. He looked down at Diefenbaker and they stared at each other for a moment. "What should I do, Dief?" he questioned.

Diefenbaker walked up and placed his paw on the edge of the bed before setting it back down and sitting on the hardwood floor, staying still as he watched his fretting friend.

"Right," Benton nodded at his dog's decision. "I suppose there's really no choice but to stay. I'll have to call in again to the inspector. I know she'll understand. Still. I feel guilty," he explained.

Diefenbaker nodded and blew a sharp breath out his nose before scooting his front paws forward and lying down.

"You're absolutely right," Benton agreed. "Nothing to do about it but the right thing, and that's staying here," he said, looking down at the wolf. He turned away back over to Ray and took his hand. His fingers were squeezed lightly, though Fraser knew this was only the instinctive response all humans have from the moment they're born. It wasn't that Ray was awake or comforted by the gesture-simply that he was alive and not comatose.


	6. Gotta Go

"Fraser, I'm _fine_. I _swear_," Ray repeated as he got dressed.

"Ray, if there is one think on Earth that you are _not_, it is_ fine_," Benton persisted as he tried to stop the man from getting his shirt on.

"You heard what Frannie said on the phone, Fraser. I only got one more sick day left. I _gotta_ go in," Ray reminded him.

"That's _exactly_ my point, Ray! You _have one_ _more_," Benton tried again, pushing the man back down onto the bed before he could get his holster on.

"Benny, I have to," Ray sighed, looking down. "There's not any other option. If I get sick again, what am I supposed to do? I need that sick day."

Benton sighed and reluctantly took his hands off Ray's shoulders, letting him stand up again.

"Besides," Ray said. "I feel fine. There's no reason I _shouldn't_ go in."

"Except for the fact that your fever is still over thirty-nine degrees," Benny reminded him.

"Eh, what's a little fever between friends," Ray shrugged off. "I feel better than I have in a week."

"That doesn't mean you feel _good_ though, Ray," Fraser said stubbornly.

"I feel good _enough_, Fraser. All I need's enough," Ray insisted. He went out the door and into the kitchen to grab his caffeine pills. He tossed them into the air and caught them again. "All I need's a couple of these and I'll be fine. I gotcher little shaman drugs in my little baggie you gave me. I'll take 'em at work."

"...Fine, Ray," Benton sighed. "But I really don't think that-"

Ray held his hand up.

"Don't matter what you _think_. It's what _I do_," he said. "And I'm going to work. How 'bout you, Fraser? I know you can't have anymore sick days than me."

"No, but I have about three months of saved vacation time," Benton reminded him. "I can stay and take care of you as long as is needed, but I need _you_ to be here to be taken care of."

"Well, I'm leaving, so ya got no excuse. Go to work, Benton-buddy. I'll see ya in a few hours," Ray dismissed.

"You're taking Diefenbaker with you," Benton said firmly. "If anything goes wrong, I had better know about it as soon as possible."

"Nothing's gonna go _wrong_, Fraser," Ray brushed off easily. "Now go get yer little outfit on and get to Canada. I'm leaving."

"No, you're waiting," Benton replied. "You're at least letting me drive you to the station. You're in no condition to get behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle."

Ray sighed melodramatically, but gave in with a nod.

"Fine. But hurry up. I gotta be there in..." Ray said, glancing at the clock on the stove. "-fifteen minutes."

"I'll just be a moment," Benton said patiently and went into the bedroom. He dressed in record time and walked out only one minute later.

"..._That _was quick," Ray remarked.

"I'm nothing if not punctual," Fraser replied. "Now come on. If this is going to be done, it can at least be done as well as possible."

"This is what I'm sayin'," Ray said, holding his hand out from his side and ducking his head a little. "Now hurry."

"I'm _hurrying_, Ray," Fraser said as he grabbed his hat and placed it precisely on top of his head before grabbing the keys to Ray's Riviera from the nail on the wall and walking out, Diefenbaker following behind, though he wasn't wagging his tail like usual.


	7. Work

Ray sat down at his desk with a heavy breath out and stared down at the paper on the mat in front of him.

"This sucks..." he sighed as he grabbed the pencil from beside the form and sharpened it. "I can't believe he put me on desk-duty..." he muttered to himself. "Damn lieutenant..."

"I heard that," Welsh said as he passed by with a file in his hand, not even pausing to physically acknowledge the comment.

"Suck it," Ray mumbled, glaring down at his desk as he got to work.

As the day went on, though, he began to realize what Benny meant when he said he should take just a couple more days off. His eyesight was wavering, his breaths were uneven, his skin was sweating... In short, he felt like he was about as healthy as a crack addict in rehab.

Nonetheless, he decided to stay. He couldn't leave-not if he wanted to keep his sick day, though he couldn't quite remember why it had been so important to him in the first place. He supposed he just wanted to get out of that stuffy apartment. Fraser was a nice guy and all, but cabin fever was setting in and soon he was going to go even more stir-crazy than before. He'd never been one to enjoy leaving home or work all that much, let alone the city, but if he stayed one more day in that bed, he was going to kill himself. Or better yet, Fraser.

He sighed and pushed himself up, ignoring how fuzzy his vision went, and started into the break room to get another cup of coffee. He didn't get far, though, as he fell almost straight back down, knocking over his inbox when he tried to brace himself on the desk and caught it instead. He dropped to his knee with a cringe and tried to push himself up only to find that his legs weren't going to obey him by a long shot.

He felt hands grasp the side of his chest and the other side of his back and looked up to find Huey leaning over him. He tried to stand again with the man's help and actually almost got to his feet only to fall to his knees again. He gave up with a sigh and leaned into the cool hand that was placed on his forehead.

"My god, man. You're burning up..." Jack muttered as he took Kowalski's full weight and hefted him back up into his chair. "Why the hell would you come into work like this?" he asked distractedly before he saw the bottle on the desk. He picked it up and shook it, finding it almost empty. "Just how many of these have you taken today?" he asked.

"D'nno..." Ray shrugged, eyes half-closing. "Five 'r six maybe..."

"Man, are you _trying_ to kill yourself?" Huey asked with a frown as he felt for Ray's pulse. His heart was pumping a mile a minute. Placing his hand on the man's shoulder, he said, "You need to get to a hospital, Ray. This's gone far enough."

"No, no..." Ray said as he shrugged the man off. "I just need...a little coffee...'M fine..."

"No, you are _not_ fine," Jack persisted, reminding Ray of Benton's words that morning. "This isn't like you at all, Ray. You're the guy who panics at the slightest cough, let alone this."

"I've been in bed for a week...I'm about to use up all my sick days..." Ray explained. "I _need_ to be here."

"Lieutenant Welsh is a reasonable guy, Ray. When he sees you like this, he'll figure something out for you."

"No-, you don't understand. I'm gonna...'M gonna...lose my..." Ray said, trailing off as his vision darkened. "I need..."

"You're _not_ going to lose your job over this, Ray," Jack said. "Now, we need to call Fraser at the very least."

"Dief went to get him..." Ray said, just then noticing that the wolf-dog wasn't there. And right then, as luck would have it, Benton walked through the door.

"Come on, Ray," the man said, sounding like a mildly fed up mother. "I told you you shouldn't come in today."

"Whatever..." Ray sighed, letting his head flop back on the chair. "Jus' lemme rest for a sec...before we go..."

"Fine, Ray, but you're not going to convince me you can stay," Fraser frowned.

"'M not _trying_ to," Ray frowned right back in annoyance. "Quit putting words in my mouth."

"I'm just saying, you need to be reasonable," Fraser pushed. "Now come on. It's time to go home," he said and grabbed Ray under the arms to lift him out of the chair and walk him out, wrapping his own arm around the man's ribs as Ray hung off his shoulders. He saw Frannie watching him take the man out the door, a most worried expression on her face. "He'll be fine," he told her quietly. "Just needs a little more rest."

"Right," she nodded, eyebrows knitted. "I'll be there when I get off work, okay? My mom knows this great recipe for remedy fettuccine. Cures anything in half the time."

"Thank you, Francesca," Fraser nodded and walked Ray half-unconscious out the door she held open for them before pouring him into the car and driving him home.


	8. Bath

Thanks to Ray's little escapade to work, his fever was almost as high as it had gotten that first day before he'd started the medication regimen. Benny sighed and helped him to lie down in the bed, and wondered for a moment what he should do before deciding on an ice bath. It was an extreme measure, and it could cause a rebound fever, but it was his only option at this point. He couldn't give the man anymore medicine for another hour and if he stayed this high again for too long, it would start to fry his brain.

So he went to the freezer and grabbed the bucket of ice he'd been saving and then went into the bathroom where he set it down in the tub and turned on the cold water. He let the faucet run for a good five minutes to fill up and then walked back out to the bedroom to get Ray, who was lying as a puddle on top of the blankets and cooing at something Benton couldn't see, poking his fingers at it and chuckling every once in a while.

Benton lifted him up and walked him into the bathroom, stripped him down to his underwear, and made him step into the tub.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no," Ray got out quickly when he felt the temperature of the water and tried to fight his way out. "No, I am _gettin' outta __here_."

Benton kept him in and carefully shoved him down under the water up to his neck and held him there.

"You are sitting in there until your fever comes down," he ordered as he handed the ice bucket to him. "Now play with that and sit still."

Ray stared at him for a second, eyes dilated and unfocused, before nodding and looking down at the somewhat melted ice cube. He poked at it in the bucket.

"You know, if you place your hand on it, it'll make an imprint," Benny told him provocatively, trying to get his mind off the cold. He was already shivering quite violently.

Ray stared up at him silently before looking down again and putting his hand on the cube, waiting for it to melt.

"Good. Now you stay there and I'll go get you something to eat. Do. Not. Drown," Fraser ordered. He flicked his pointing hand from the wolf in the room with them to the man in the tub. "Dief-watch him."

Ray was still holding his hand on the ice as he left and he turned around and took it off before he got frostbite.

"See? Imprint," he said and Ray nodded dazedly, staring down at the hand-shaped dip in the giant lump. Benton nodded to himself, satisfied that Ray would be okay, and went into the kitchen to prepare a sandwich for the man he knew hadn't eaten since the night before. He put three pieces of bologna and two slices of cheese on it, and spread mayonnaise thick over the breads. He knew Ray wasn't hungry, and hadn't been since he caught the fever, so he would make the one meal he would eat today as calorie-packed as possible.

He brought it into the bathroom and found Diefenbaker staring steadfastly at Ray. He glanced up at the food, but went back to watching the man immediately. Benny took this as a bad sign. Even the wolf could tell Ray was in a bad enough condition that they should be worried. Still, Benton threw him a slice of over-processed meat, which he chomped up quickly, before sitting next to Ray on the toilet lid. He waved the sandwich in front of Ray's face and said simply, "Eat."

Ray looked up from the ice bucket and lifted his freezing hands away from the imprinted chunk to take the food he actually almost felt like eating for once since he'd started to boil.

"Thanks," he said around his mouthful, taking another bite before finishing the first.

"You're welcome, Ray," Benny returned. "Don't make yourself sick eating too quickly."

Ray didn't reply, just shoved another bite into his mouth.

"_Mm_..." he muttered. "Getting hungrier by the second..."

"That's good. Means the fever is going down," Benton replied.

"Yeah...you know...this water is starting to feel really good..." Ray said around his food in an uncouth manner that Benton didn't find at all offensive.

"Also a good sign," Benton said with a light smile, glad his plan was working.

They sat there in the bathroom, Ray playing with the ice and Benton reading a book next to him, refilling the tub with cold water and ice cubes, and speaking erratically for about an hour before Ray's lips started to turn blue around the edges.

"I think it's time to get out," Benton said as he stretched his shoulders and set his book down.

"Aww, but I feel really nice right now..." Ray whined, dipping lower into the water, his knees popping out from the surface.

"I'm sure you do, but you're also entering hypothermia," Benny exhaled as he lifted Ray up to his feet and helped him onto the fuzzy shag carpet on the floor.

Actually able to stand on his own for the most part for once, Ray dried himself off, shivering all the while, and got himself dressed with minimal assistance.

"Okay, then. Back to bed," Benny instructed and got Ray back under the covers in the bedroom, the man unusually calm, and sat down next to him to read a bit more as he fell asleep. When he checked his temperature an hour later, though, he found that, as he had worried, the rebound fever was taking a hold on his friend.

He went and got some ice out of the fridge, put it into a bag, and then grabbed the freezer burned bags of peas and corn and carrots. After flipping the covers down off of Ray, he placed the various frozen foodstuffs around and on him to keep him cool for a while longer. He went and took the bucket from the tub, refilled it, and put it in the freezer for later, along with the ice trays.

"Mm...Fraser?" Ray asked, waking up when his partner sat down next to him on the bed.

"Yes, Ray?" Fraser inquired.

"Why did you cover me in frozen peas?" Ray questioned, raising his arms to look under them at the bags they were resting on.

"Because you were warming up again," Benton replied. "I need to keep your fever down for a little while at least to let you recover a little."

"Ah," Ray nodded. "Makes perfect sense." He paused. "No, not really, it doesn't." He looked up and set his arms back down. "Why peas?"

"They were what you had in the freezer," Benny replied.

"...I haven't bought peas in, like...half a year..." Ray wondered, squinting a little.

"Yes, well, that would explain the freezer burnt state they're in," Fraser nodded. "By the way, did you know your freezer is almost entirely filled with ice?"

"I haven't even opened it in a few months," Ray replied. "But yeah, I figured it would be."

"...Huh. Right. Well, alright. Do you feel any better yet?" Benton inquired.

"Yeah, A lot," Ray confirmed. "A bit cold, but better."

"Good. I'm glad," Benny nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"Yeah, me too," Ray nodded. "Nice to be able to move without floating off the bed and onto a roller coaster fer once in a while."

"Yes, well, it would be, I imagine," Benny nodded again. "By the way, you need to drink your ptisan and take some medicine."

"A'right. Hand 'em over..." Ray said dejectedly.

Fraser nodded and fetched the items, returning and, for once, not having to force them down the man's throat.

"Would you like something to read?" he asked afterwards.

"Yeah, I got some, uh, I dunno. There's some books around here somewhere. Dunno which ones. They came with the apartment and I haven't read all of 'em yet..." Ray requested. "Should be somewhere near the shelf over there..."

"These ones?" Benton asked as he retrieved a small stack of paperbacks.

"Yeah, those ones," Ray said and sat up, reaching out his hands and flicking his fingers inward before taking them and setting them down in his lap. He started examining them and taking them off the pile. "Read it, read it, read it, _didn't_ read it," he said and picked the fourth one up, shoving the rest over onto the covers carelessly.

They sat there together, again in almost complete silence, breaking it sometimes to recite amusing quotes from the novels.


	9. Thatcher

Benton knew that he couldn't keep Ray covered in ice forever. If he did, the fever would never burn out of him. He let the various vegetables thaw out and the ice cubes to melt into water, and took them away while Ray was asleep. Again, his fever began to rise, though it wasn't as high as before. It seemed he had broken the cycle a little, at least for now.

There came a knock on the door and he stood up, letting Diefenbaker run ahead and sniff at the edges to find out who it was before they opened it.

"Inspector Thatcher," Benny said in pleasant surprise as he opened the door. "Come in, come in," he invited and waved her towards the living room area. "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to see what exactly was keeping you either away or running from your job," Thatcher replied, sounding a bit disgruntled.

"Well, you see, Ray has been a bit-" Fraser began, but she cut him off.

"If he's sick enough to keep you holed up here all day for over a week, I think he should be in a hospital," she said firmly.

"Well, no, you see-" he began and waited for her to cut him off again. When she didn't, he continued. "He's actually quite sick, but I think I can handle it. He's doing a lot better for the moment actually, but the doctor said it could last up to around two weeks..."

"I see," Margaret nodded. "So where is he?" she asked, her tone softening.

"He's asleep right now, I think, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind you stopping in for just a quick moment," Benton allowed. However, when he walked her into the room, he immediately regretted it.

Ray looked up at the inspector and grinned, waving his floppy hand at her. Obviously, his fever was back up.

"Hey, there, In-spec-ter Ga-dget!" he greeted, sounding drugged, which he was, but not on the right kind.

"Excuse me?" Thatcher asked.

"Doot-de-doot-de-doot-doot-doo..." he hummed the theme to said show before looking around the room. "Hey, Benton Buddy Buddy Calamari Chickee Chickee...the butterflies're back! You didn't kill 'em after all..."

"I'm glad to hear that, Ray," Benton nodded as he took the inspector's arm and turned her around, leading her back out of the room. He wasn't sure Ray would want anyone to see him like that, although the risk he took going into work was probably an indication that he didn't mind too much. "Sorry about that," he apologized to the inspector as they got back into the living room. "I didn't mean for you to see that, you see." He was a bit frazzled.

"_That_ is _better_?" Thatcher asked, both doubtful and nervous. "How bad has he been exactly?"

"Well-...not too well, actually," Benton admitted.

"I see..." Margaret nodded, deep in thought before she looked up at Benton's face. "I suppose you can take a bit more time off. But not more than two more weeks. I'm sure you can find someone else to take care of him if he's still...in that state by then."

"Yes, inspector," Benton nodded.

"Good. Turnbull is no replacement for you," Margaret sighed. "To be honest, I'd almost rather an empty space than him some days."

"He's not _that_ bad..." Benton said awkwardly.

"He is when he's stressed out," Thatcher countered. "And someone is spreading a rumour that Her Majesty the Queen is going to be coming to town."

"...I can imagine his excite," Benton said as politely as possible.

"Yes. Well. It's been interesting to say the least," Thatcher said.

"I see. Well...I'll try to be back soon, but I'm afraid my priority does lie with my partner in his time of need," Benton admitted a bit guiltily. He didn't wish to neglect his responsibilities, but Ray was of more import at the moment.

"Yes, well, do your best," Margaret allowed. "I see no problem in helping a friend. Just be sure to be back as soon as you can be. ASAP, that is."

"Right," Benton nodded with a polite and relieved smile. "I give you my word as a member of the RCMP."

"Good. See that you live up to it," Thatcher agreed before smiling cheerfully. "I know you will. Now go back to your friend," she said, flicking her hand at the door to the bedroom. "I think he needs you more than I do right now."

"Yes, sir," Benton nodded. "Let me show you out," he said and invited her over to the door, his hand out. He turned the knob for her and let her out with the customary farewells before shutting the door and leaning back against it, hand on the knob still. He exhaled tightly and squeezed his eyes shut, looking diagonally up at the ceiling.

"Ray...how long is this going to last?" he asked, worrying again. He walked back over to the bedroom and felt the sleeping Ray's forehead. Not too high yet, but not too low either. He sighed and picked up his book again, and reminded himself the doctor would be back the next morning to check up on the pitiable man. It would be okay. He wasn't too bad yet, as the doctor had said last time. And he had said two weeks. Ray wasn't overdue yet.

He looked the blonde man over again and stood up to tuck the blankets around him, helping the fever along so his body wouldn't waste as much energy keeping it up.

"It'll be fine..." he breathed to himself.


	10. Francesca

Another knock came to the door that night, this one a few hours later, nearing dusk.

"Hello, Francesca," Benton greeted personably at the door. In truth, he would rather she go away, but he couldn't say that. She had more right to be there than Thatcher at least, and he hadn't turned _her_ away.

"Hi, I brought the, uh..." Frannie said, holding up a glass bowl with a mismatched lid on it.

"Oh, right! Uh, come on in," Fraser invited, stepping back from the doorway.

"It's just, uh, I know I haven't been over to see him...but I didn't realize he was that bad..." Frannie said guiltily. "I mean, I know he's not my real brother, but he _did_ live with us for a few days when he was learning the lay of the land, and I sort of got a little close to him over the past while-not in _that_ way-but still..." She set the fettuccine down on the counter. "I didn't get a chance to talk to him this morning beyond paperwork."

"He's going to be fine, Francesca," Fraser told her, not quite believe it himself, and it showed by the look she gave him after.

"Can I talk to him?" she asked quietly.

"Yes, of course. Let's see if he can handle a bit of this remedy fettuccine, too," Benton nodded.

"Yeah, we just gotta heat it up," Frannie nodded back as she went searching for a place. Benton got one for her and she smiled sheepishly. "Thanks."

"You're all too welcome," Benton replied with a smile. She seemed to be honestly worried about his partner-not even making her subtle passes at him that he couldn't even usually catch if he wasn't looking for.

"So, uhm..." Frannie began as she nuked the pasta in the microwave and leaned back on the counter. She knew she should have heated it up over the stove, but she didn't have time, and she couldn't do it right like Mama did. "How's he been _really_?"

"...Not well, I'm afraid," Benton admitted. "If he's not delirious, he's miserable, and if he's not miserable, he's passed out." He didn't think to soften the blow or beat around the bush, but it seemed like she didn't want him to anyway.

"I see..." Frannie nodded, looking down. "Listen, I'm sorry, I should have come sooner, but I didn't realize-"

Benton held up his hand and shook his head at her.

"No harm done. He probably won't remember this anyway," he placated.

"...Right," Frannie nodded. The microwave beeped and she opened the door, taking the perfectly warmed dish out and then a fork proffered by Fraser.

"He's just back here," Benton directed her and led her into the bedroom. He walked over to the bed and shook Ray lightly. His fever was a bit lower than when Thatcher was there and he was out of hallucination-territory.

"Fraser, what-?" the blonde man asked until he saw Francesca standing with some sort of food behind the man. He hastened to sit up, fell back with a wince, and tried again, this time succeeding with Fraser's assistance. "Hi, Frannie," he greeted.

"Hey, Ray," Francesca smiled. "I brought you something to help you get better. It's from Mama. Made it herself when I told her about you. She put all the right spices in to cure a fever."

"Tell 'er thanks," Ray nodded with a cringe, his head bursting in small flashes of pain with ever movement he made. He really wasn't hungry, but when the plate was set down on his lap, even he had to admit it looked delicious.

"I will," Francesca smiled. "So, ya feelin' okay?" she asked, sitting down in Benton's spot when he stood up to make room for her. She placed her hands on her knees and slid them in between them over her black sheer thigh-highs that Ray liked so much.

"I'm feelin' great now," the blonde man smiled. He may be shacked up with Benny, but he still had eyes.

She smiled and laughed at him before looking down and wiping her eye.

"Hey, hey, hey..." Ray murmured. "Wha's th' matter?"

"Just-...I should have come by sooner, and I didn't, and I feel really guilty over it..." Frannie admitted to him easily. "If I had, you might be better by now."

"Hey, it's fine," Ray brushed off casually as he took a bite of his dinner. "Benny's been takin' good care o' me."

"Yeah, I know, but...I just...You were so little and hurt at work today, and I barely even noticed how bad off you were. I should have been paying more attention to you, I mean...you're one of my closest friends these days, and I didn't even..." Frannie went on, trying to explain herself.

"I'm one of your closest friends?" Ray asked, widening his eyes.

"Well, _duh_," Frannie grinned at him, her tears quashed for the moment as she smiled through what was left of them. "You're only the cop I work for the most out of everyone. You never noticed I manage all your cases?"

"I just figured that was standard procedure," Ray said as he took another small bite of the noodles he'd wrapped around his fork. "You mean you get to choose?"

"Well, I mean, not _technically_, but I have some deals worked out with the other girls," Frannie said tightly, sticking her chin out and looking up. "They get Elaine and Jack, and I get you."

"...Wow," Ray said, smiling into his plate. "That's cool."

"Yeah, well, don't get a pig's head out of it," Frannie gibed.

"_Big_ head," Ray corrected.

"_No_, _pig's_ head. Because pigs are stubborn?" Frannie argued as if he were stupid. "Honestly, I dunno why I like you so much sometimes."

"Whatever," Ray sighed, not feeling like joining in the lighthearted argument like usual.

"Wow, you really _are_ sick, huh..." Frannie said, looking down at the plate he'd taken all of four bites off of. "No one can resist Mama's fettuccine."

"Yeah. Apparently I can," Ray sighed again and stared down at the plate for a moment before setting it to the side on the table. "I'll eat it later-promise."

"Okay. Well, uhm..." she began, looking down at her legs when she noticed how tired the man was, obviously staving it off for her sake. "I should be going."

"Aw, you don' have to," Ray objected, but he was fading fast even as he did so. His arm wouldn't go up to gesture that she should stop getting ready to leave, just his hand, and his head was dipping to the side, his eyes starting to close.

"Yeah, I should let you sleep. Mama would kill me if she knew I was keeping you up when you can't even finish her homemade pasta," Francesca dismissed with an indulgent smile. "You get better and get yer butt back to work soon, okay? Everyone misses you."

"Even Dewey?" Ray joked.

"Okay, maybe not _Dewey_...but most of us. Who like you. At all. So, me and a couple others," she teased.

"Right, that's more what I expected," Ray nodded with a smile as he looked down at his blanket and considered trying to get deeper down under it, or if he should just fall asleep where he was.

"Aw, you know we love ya," Frannie said and ruffled his hair, messing it up that much more. She stood up. "Anyways, see ya in a few days."

"A f'w days," Ray nodded sleepily. "I'ma go back to bed now...," he mumbled. "Bye. Night."

"Night, Ray," Frannie bid and walked out the door. Fraser followed her out and helped her into her coat. "Thanks."

"No, thank _you_," Benny countered. "I think you really cheered him up. He hasn't talked that much in one go in a week, let alone stayed coherent."

"Well...you know I got it," Frannie smirked as she arranged her jacket over her shoulder and put her purse on.

"That you do," Fraser smiled. "Goodbye, Francesca," he said as he opened the door for her. She snuck out under his arm and smiled back.

"See ya, Fraser," she bid with a small wave. She popped her head up and looked past him. "And make sure he eats that whole bowl, okay? Mama put just the right amount in for 'im."

"Right. I promise," Benny nodded. "Farewell."

"You, too," Frannie smiled and walked down the hall.

Benton shut the door and walked back into the bedroom to find Ray fast asleep, slumped against the headboard. He walked over and arranged him on the pillow before picking up his plate to put in the refrigerator.

"Goodnight, Ray," he said afterwards as he crawled into the bed next to the man.

"Night, Fraser," Ray mumbled into his pillow.

Benton smiled and turned out the light.


End file.
